


Old Soul - On Hiatus

by Hey_There_Cowboy



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, But he's trying, Crime Scenes, Crime Solving, Deviant!Connor, Deviant!RK900, Enemies to Friends, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Eventual Smut, Gavin is a Grade A Asshole, Gen, Good Parent Hank Anderson, Guilty Gavin, Low Self Esteem is a Bitch, M/M, Murder, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pining, Post Pacifist Route, Sexual Tension, Slow Burn, Swearing, Violence, baby's first fanfiction
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-10
Updated: 2018-09-05
Packaged: 2019-06-24 15:50:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 10,029
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15633834
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hey_There_Cowboy/pseuds/Hey_There_Cowboy
Summary: Detective Gavin Reed has always been the man to get the job done right. In order to do that though, he's got to do all the work himself, just as he likes it.It's just his luck when a tall, dark, and handsome android sized wrench is thrown into all his plans.





	1. Another Day

**Author's Note:**

> Alright guys, this is my first fanfic in a really long time, so go easy on me!
> 
> As a note, I'm going to move the fanfic from Tumblr to here so it's more organized and easier to read.
> 
> [Writing Tumblr](https://thatfunkylesbianwriter.tumblr.com/)

Gavin Reed’s mornings were always shit.

He had made the bad decision to have a few extra beers right before going to sleep, resulting in a raging headache as soon as he opened his eyes. Dragging himself out of bed, Gavin started his little ritual of putting as little as much effort as he could into getting himself ready for work at the very buttcrack of dawn. Of course, that goes to shit every time anyways.

Standing in the shower in hopes of releasing some pressure from his throbbing head, realizing he spent too much time in there and rushing around the small apartment half dressed while brushing his teeth, desperately trying to find a half decent, half clean shirt. Gavin almost shoved his coffee maker off the counter with how much force was behind his frustrated hands trying to get the machine to brew him a simple fucking cup of coffee. _Why did he decide he needed the fancier one?_

With little time to spare, Gavin swiped an extra pop tart from his cabinet and filled a large travel mug with nature’s dark life liquid as he headed out the door. He slammed it closed, flinching a bit. A part of him found his actions extremely rude to his neighbors, but another part told him that his neighbors could go fuck themselves. It was too early in the morning to have manners anyway, despite the guilty prickle in the back of his head.

The man shoved the sugary pastry in his mouth as he took two steps at a time down the stairs, tugging his worn leather jacket over his shoulders. He groaned as the sun started to peek out from behind the horizon and aggravated his ever-present headache, mocking him with a clear sky.

_Just another shit morning._

Traffic was shit, people were shit, and as he took a scalding sip of his coffee, he realized his coffee was shit too.

Without acknowledging the station’s android receptionists, Gavin passed through the scanners and into the deserted bullpen, the only light coming from Captain Fowler’s office. That prickle of guilt spiked up again in the back of his head. _Can you at least have the decency to nod at the damned androids?_

Ever since the Android Revolution, new laws were put in place by the US government for android rights. The huge amount of public support had pressured officials into agreeing with the wishes of their leader, Markus, and his people. It was the longest two months of Gavin’s life, his anxiety skyrocketed through the roof as he waited for something bad to happen and all of this shit to blow up in the humans’ faces.

But it didn’t.

Now, five more months later, androids had become ingrained in society like never before. Some stayed doing their old jobs, caretaker androids too attached to the humans in their charge to go explore their deviancy or not really knowing what else to do with their new life, while others completely went all hippy and went out to the desert in Nevada in search of some religious experience. The last bit might be a little fake, though; Gavin had another bad habit of getting sidetracked by clickbait.

Nevertheless, there were laws now protecting androids, recognizing them as an intelligent species along with humans. And Detective Gavin Reed had taken an oath to protect and serve, no matter how much he hated the damn things.

It wasn’t all bad though; since the androids had taken over CyberLife, they stopped all workings at the reproduction plants and focused on research and development. The fear of androids completely taking over gradually went away from the public opinion and Gavin was assured that there weren’t any more Connors to come take his job. _Where was the little shit anyways?_

Yet life was good at finding out how to fuck you over in every way possible.

Before Gavin could sit down and properly situate himself, a low, familiar voice called out his name.

“Good morning, Detective Reed.”

“Connor, why the fuck are you bothering me this early in the—“

Gavin couldn’t even finish as the spitting image of Connor, but not Connor, fucking _sauntered past his desk_ , a file box in his hands, and placed it right on the desk across from the detective.

The android’s aura screamed _Cool_. Connor, the plastic shit, was all awkward stares, dorkiness, and fidgety hands, but this guy was something else. Calm and graceful, casualness mixed with professionalism, meant to make others feel safe, but all it did was make Gavin bristle. It really didn’t help that those grey eyes held his own, keeping him captivated.

“It’s Caleb actually,” the damned thing _smirked_ , LED moving in a lazy blue circle, “it seems that Captain Fowler hasn’t told you the news. I was transferred here from a different precinct to offer assistance on the large amount of android related cases.”

The android extended a hand from across the desks, causing Gavin to take in more of him. Caleb wore a black button-down with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, exposing the pale expanse of skin. In fact, the shirt hugged the android’s form, tucking into his black dress pants. If this moment could get any better, Gavin started feeling very underdressed in his faded grey shirt that most definitely has a ketchup stain on the collar. He could feel the tips of his ears begin to grow red in embarrassment and irritation as Caleb continued to extend the offered hand with all the fucking patience in the world.

_Fuck fuck shit fuck shit fuck damn it fuuuuuck_

“Nope.”

“Pardon?” Caleb’s smile turned into a frown of confusion, hand retreating and brow furrowed.

“Nope, Hell nope,” Gavin’s voice came out strained as he staggered up from his seat, nearly tripping over a cord that he’d refused to tape down earlier in the week, “I’m not dealin’ with this shit today, not this early.”

Caleb was left at his desk, LED flickering yellow, as Gavin stomped off to Captain Fowler’s office, nearly tearing the door off its hinges as he made his entrance.

_Fucking plastic prick, what the FUCK was Fowler thinking?_


	2. Introductions

“Why the FUCK,” Reed barged into the captain’s office, fully aware that he would get a write up for a stunt like this and not giving a shit about it, “is there a copycat of robocop at my desk?” 

Gavin was _fuming_. His stance was wide, almost ready to throw a few punches if anyone got close enough, but Captain Fowler was the image of fatigue seated across the room at his desk, hands folding on the table in front of him. Around the Captain, the glass walls were filled with lists on the cases being handled, leads, clues, and the news playing silently with the captions on. There was a stack of files on the corner of the desk, another box of them on the floor, open and marked with various colored sticky notes. The captain was tired from being pulled in all different directions, but that did very little to cool the raging mess Gavin was at the moment. 

“Reed,” Fowler began with a deep breath, “sit your ass down.” 

“Fuck no, I want—“ 

“ _Reed_ ,” His voice was a warning, “sit, _now_.” 

Gavin stared at his boss, the temptation to be petty as fuck and walk out the door right was almost too much, but he wanted answers. _Fucking tell me to sit, I’ll take a fucking seat myself._ With a grunt, he fell back into the ridged chair in front of the desk, slouching and crossing his arms. He probably looked like a pouty little kid who didn’t get a second serving of cake and started throwing a tantrum about it. _How professional…_

Fowler relaxed just a fraction, bringing a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose before continuing. 

“The android, Caleb, was assigned to a neighboring precinct after the Android Revolution,” The captain pointed to the open file under his hand, “He apparently was an upgrade of Connor made by CyberLife before all hell broke loose.” 

“That still doesn’t explain why he’s here,” Gavin scowled, waving a hand in the air, “especially at my desk.”

“He’s here because Detroit is a big fucking city and ground zero for a lot of androids and android haters,” Fowler barked back, “You’ve seen the reports, we need all the help we can get. Connor referred him to me—”

Gavin snarled, “That BITCH—“ 

“ _Cool it, Reed._ ” The captain’s voice boomed in the room, making Gavin flinch. 

Trying some kind of restraint, the detective leaned forward, elbows on his knees, and hands over his mouth to silence himself, _don’t fucking push it dipshit_ , as Fowler continued, “As for why he’s your neighbor, there’s limited space and no one has occupied that desk for almost three years, Reed.”

And there was a reason for that. Gavin liked working alone, relying on no one, being by _himself_. People just got in his way and he let everyone in the office know that, to hell with feelings and friends. 

_You keep telling yourself that._

Gavin’s scowl deepened before he replied, that fucking guilty prickle again, “Whatever, fucking whatever. As long as the tincan stays out of my way, I guess I’ll be fucking dandy.” 

“... Good,” Captain Fowler eyed him, “I don’t want any trouble. Now get your ass out of my office.” 

Pushing himself out of the chair, Gavin rubbed his hands together, still itching to punch the hell out of something. He didn’t like anything of this, not one bit. An old nagging feeling of dread was welling up in the back of his throat; that same feeling when Connor came into the office and Gavin found out his specialization. 

Just as Gavin tore through the door, he spotted none other than the dynamic shithead duo at their respective desks, the android fidgeting with his coin and talking while Hank nursed a large cup of coffee. Connor had remained Hank’s partner after all the events during the Android Revolution. Ever since then, the lieutenant’s ugly mug started showing up a little bit earlier and a little less hungover each day. Gavin would never admit it to his face, but it felt good, right, seeing Hank back up on his feet again, god knows he needed help. 

But right now, those sappy feelings were nowhere to be found as Gavin stormed over to their desks, fists clenched, and face screwed up into an almost snarl. Of course the fucking android had to refer another one of his kind to this station, of course! It was too good to be true, Gavin’s worst fears of losing his job just because some fucking machine was better at it, more efficient, more valuable— 

“Detective Reed?” 

Caleb’s voice stopped his legs and the barrage of vicious thoughts running through Gavin’s head, making him whip around to face the android. 

“ _What?_ ” 

The android’s LED flashed and spun yellow for a moment, sensing the venom in Gavin’s voice. His ego spiked just then, relishing in the visual indicator that he affected the fucking prick even though his face remained calm and indifferent. But the feeling didn’t last when he met eyes again. They were cold and hard, lacking the safe warmth when Gavin first looked at them. It made the detective’s stomach roll in discomfort as he faced someone and something entirely different. 

“I believe that my presence has caused you some discomfort,” Caleb continued with an even voice and hands clasped behind his back, “if there’s anything that I can do to help lessen it, it would be greatly appreciated if you’d let me know.” 

Gavin laughed, but it was dry and without lightness, and turned to face Caleb fully, stepping forward into the android’s space. At this distance, he could really see the tiny features CyberLife put into making this fucking prick. Freckles, subtle wrinkles, a strong jawline, thick brown hair, elegant cheekbones— 

“Yeah, yeah I do know how you can help me. You can stay,” Gavin pressed a finger into the middle of the android’s chest, pushing harder as his LED went red and back to yellow, “the fuck outta my way, don’t talk to me, don’t look at me, just _stay away._ ” 

Caleb’s face remained indifferent as his eyes flicked down to the finger on his chest before returning his gaze back to Gavin. This caused the detective to take back his hand quickly because of the grey daggers being thrown at him. _If looks could kill…_

“Very well, _Detective._ ” Caleb’s voice had dropped, sending a shiver through the man, “You have my word.” 

Gavin clicked his tongue, shifting from one foot to the other, “Good.” 

Being the petty fuck that he is, Gavin shouldered past the android, ignoring the roll in his stomach and the prickle behind his head, as he stomped off to his desk. There were fucking cases to be solved and thugs to be arrested, he didn’t have time to play Mr. Nice Guy with a fucking plastic. 

And when Caleb finally took a seat at the neighboring desk, Gavin was more than happy that the android didn’t even spare a glance. 

Not that he was looking or anything, he just wanted to make sure.


	3. Unstoppable Force Meet Immovable Object

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Boy howdy this is a long one

The first week of Caleb’s residency was literal hell for Gavin. 

Was he doing anything wrong? 

No. 

In fact, the android was doing _nothing_ and it drove Gavin up the fucking wall. The man could be drumming his fingers on the desk, a nervous tick, and Caleb wouldn’t give even glance at the incessant noise. If they were headed in opposite directions, the android would stop at another officer’s desk to speak with them, effectively getting out of Gavin’s path. 

Caleb was doing everything that Gavin asked and for some goddamn reason, it made him feel like he was living under a microscope. He was conscious of every breath he took and every movement he made whenever they both sat at their desks. Gavin had actually gotten his paperwork done in record time because he didn’t want to look like a fucking slacker next to a never tiring machine; keeping his eyes glued to the screen and fingers flying across the keyboard (despite all typos). 

Although, the detective did keep a close eye on the android. Caleb maintained a clear and tidy area, papers were tucked neatly in their folders and kept in a stack at the left hand corner. Pens were always tucked onto the edge of a file nicely while the others made that fucking spiral in the holder. One morning when Gavin had arrived, he spotted a white coffee mug with the script “I heart Detroit“ on it, no doubt from one of those crappy souvenir shops. _What the fuck?_

When he was at his desk, Caleb was always working, typing, and analyzing case files. His eyes never wandered like a human’s would, completely focused on the task at hand. It unnerved Gavin, really being in the presence of something so human and yet not. 

At other times, Caleb was with Connor and Hank going over the several cases that seemed to pile up. The two androids were spitting images of each other, but the way they carried themselves was where Gavin could tell they were different like night and day. Connor gravitated towards humans, connecting with them on a personal level by sitting with them and mirroring their body language. His counterpart, however, stood distant from their little group and others in the office. Whenever he did interact with someone, he greeted them with a warm smile that didn’t meet his eyes and concise words, never really lingering. It was like he was an outsider even though he was part of a team. 

_Seems a little bit familiar, huh?_

Gavin shook himself out of his reverence as he stepped out of his car, thankful that he’d left his leather jacket at the office as the June, midday sun beat down on him. But a black T-shirt and jeans weren’t doing him any good either as he felt a trickle of sweat fall down the small of his back. His boots crunched on the gravel as he flashed his badge at the officer standing guard and stepped through the holographic crime scene tape. 

The police and forensic team had blocked off the entire road in front of an apartment complex and corner store that resided on the shittier part of town. Gavin surveyed the area and saw buildings crumbling to nothing after years of neglect, vines grew up the side of them, and heavy bars covered the windows of the corner store, a telltale sign of a business owner just trying to keep his business running and earnings honest. From between the two buildings, an officer headed straight for Gavin. She was wearing the dark, standard issued police officer uniform and as she got closer, Gavin realized she was an android from her LED. _Play nice now, asshole._

“Detective Reed,” the officer addressed him, “thank you for coming on such short notice.” 

She, Officer Martinez, was actually a familiar face in the office, before and after the Revolution. Apparently she was really good at poker when a crew went out for drinks during the week. But Gavin didn’t care much for her, she did her job and he did his. 

“Just give me the rundown,” Gavin flinched at his tone and was glad that he wore his sunglasses. 

Her LED remained a steady blue, “There was a homicide between two perps. A human man, pronounced dead on site and unrecognizable, and an android, injured but taken into custody, were involved—“ 

“Hold up, I was called in for Red Ice and murder, not some plastic shit,” Gavin turned to her fully, gritting his teeth at the realization of the slur. _You have no sense of decency, do you?_

Officer Martinez’s voice and face remained indifferent, seemingly ignoring it, “Yes, but large amounts of the substance was found on the human and android. I’ve already called in Caleb as the other two, Connor and Lieutenant Anderson, are already out on a case.”

“You did _WHAT?_ ” 

“No need to make more of a scene as it already is, Detective.” 

Gavin hands formed into fists as he turned to see Caleb step away from his cab, tall as a fucking tree and dressed in a black shirt that had white cuffs and collar. He looked like he’d just walked off from a Vogue magazine cover with the top button undone, as if the heat affected the fucker. In just a couple of strides, Caleb was right there with Gavin and Officer Martinez, towering over them. 

_Fucking FUCK_

“I fear I’ll have to break my protocol with you,” Caleb addressed Gavin, meeting his gaze head on even though he hid behind sunglasses, “if we’re going to be looking at this crime scene together.” 

Before Gavin could reply by spitting on the prick’s shoes fancy shoes, Caleb turned to Officer Martinez and greeted her as he held a hand out, the synthetic skin retreating to reveal the white and grey coating of his true nature. They clasped hands, LEDs flickering for a moment as they did their freaky little sharing of information. Gavin had seen the twin detectives do it before in the office, along with a couple of other androids out on the street; it made me feel a little uneasy because it looked so… intimate.

“Thank you, Officer Martinez,” Caleb shook her hand before they disconnected and turned back to Gavin, an eyebrow raised, “Shall we?” 

It just had to be Caleb that was called in; he could handle the dynamic shithead duo because they kept to themselves. This guy was without bounds of a partner, which allowed him to move about and get in Gavin’s way, tread on his toes. The detective gritted his teeth as he regarded the android, hands on his hips and lips in a firm line. _Just do this one time, get through this and you won’t ever have to deal with him again._

“Fine,” He swallowed his pride for just a moment and pointed a finger at Caleb, “you do your thing and I’ll do mine.” 

The fucking prick did that smirk again and gestured towards the alleyway in an “after you” motion. It made Gavin’s hands tingle with the want to punch him square in the nose. At the entrance, the two took in the scene before them as a forensic team tittered around taking pictures of this and that, dusting for fingerprints, and bagging up evidence. It looked like a tornado had swept through the small area, the dumpster was turned on its side, blue and red blood was splattered across the ground and walls. There was a dent in the back door that led into the corner store and a large pipe laid nearby, covered in red blood. A marker next to it indicated the lack of fingerprints, therefore it was a weapon used by the android. The body was laying haphazardly in the corner. 

“Jesus fucking Christ.” Gavin took his sunglasses off to get a better look at the mess. 

Caleb had stopped as Gavin continued through to the body, his LED started flickering yellow as the look in his eyes went distant, “There was a struggle, most of the carnage I presume is from the android’s strength. Based on the information Officer Martinez gave me, the store owner heard some shouting and called the cops soon after it became violent with the loud noises like ‘metal hitting metal’.” 

“That would explain that lead pipe,” Gavin replied, pointing to it, “but there’s no blood on the door where it would’ve been smashed, the bastard must have missed. How can an android miss?” 

The last part was mainly to himself, but Caleb answered anyway, “Under extreme conditions, an android’s systems start to falter, including accuracy; no different from a human.” 

The detective grunted, too focused on the task at hand to make a snide remark. Coming up to the body, he tried slowing his breath before he really took it in. Despite seeing all kinds of shit over the years, Gavin still wasn’t used to seeing dead bodies. And this one was no exception, the guy’s face was bashed in and had multiple cuts and scrapes across the entirety of his body. Caucasian and skinny, the guy was probably just a kid or an addict. The officer was right, he wasn’t recognizable at all. 

Just as Gavin took a step back from the body, Caleb had come to stand by his side, “It seems like the android didn’t miss the second time.” 

_Was he making a fucking joke?_ His knit eyebrows indicated he was and if he was, Gavin’s lips twitched up at that for some goddamn reason. Before he could even process it, Caleb crouched down next to the body and dipped his fingers in the pool of blood forming from his head. 

“Hey hey hey, what are you doing— WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING,“ Gavin’s eyes bugged out of his head as the android brought the two fingers dipped in blood like fucking fries in ketchup, right into his mouth. 

“On site analysis,” Caleb looked up at Gavin with an innocent face, still low on the ground, “it is one of my many features, Detective.” 

“That’s so fucked up, Jesus Christ. CyberLife just had to do that, didn’t they.” Gavin rubbed the heels of his hands into his hands, trying to erase the site from his eyes as a headache started to form behind them. 

Caleb ignored him, coming up to stand and wiping his hand into towel provided by one of the forensic team members, “The man here is named Rick Thompson, he’s listed as an informant in the system. Do you know anything about him?” 

At the sound of the dead guy’s name, the headache got larger and he continued to rub his eyes, “Yeeeup. That’s my guy. This is just fucking fantastic, un-fucking-believable.” 

Rick Thompson was a twenty year old kid that happened to live right across the way from an apartment Gavin had been surveillancing for months, hoping to get more leads on Red Ice trafficking. He had agreed to send in dates, times, and descriptions of anyone that was coming in and out of the place so that a charge was lessened. It wasn’t a good deal on the kid’s end, but it was all he had at the time. Now the shithead was dead and Gavin was out of leads.

Anger rose in Gavin, bubbling up, and threatening to spill over if he didn’t get out of this damn heat. Gavin started to stomp off out of the crime scene as Caleb called after him. 

“Where are you going, Detective?” 

“I’m gonna go fucking interrogate that plastic shit in custody,” Gavin growled back. 

“Then I’m afraid I have to go with you.” 

At that Gavin spun around, moving fast as he got right back into the android’s space just as he did a week ago. Caleb didn’t even flinch, arms to his side and eyebrows pinched with a frown as his LED turned yellow. 

“You’re not going anywhere, prick. You're going to stay here and clean up this shit.” Gavin stared at those grey eyes with his own, challenging him. 

Caleb’s voice was even, but his eyes dangerously dark as he _accepted_ , “Once again, I’m afraid I can’t do that. As you see, I’ve been assigned all cases that concern androids and believe me when I say this, I’m not all too keen either on this case since our paths cross. Now if you have an issue with that, take it up with Captain Fowler while I do my job.” 

Months ago, Gavin had pulled a gun on Connor for not obeying a human order. Today, he would have gladly put a bullet between Caleb’s eyes. But now there were laws to be followed and to be enforced, rules Gavin had to _obey_ himself. 

And oh did it make him want to claw out his fucking eyes. 

_Be the better man, Gavin._

With one last hard look at Caleb, Gavin stalked away, calling over his shoulder, “Get your own fucking cab and meet me at the station.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Officer Martinez is from my one-shot, _Slang_.


	4. Interrogation Tactics

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been writing longer chapters bc I can't help myself??
> 
> Anyways, this is more plot orientated, enjoy!

The two had arrived at the station more than three hours ago and Gavin was restless. They had to wait for the android to be fixed enough to interrogate, a few more pieces of evidence, and the coroner's report to come in to add ammunition against the android in custody. While they waited, Gavin and Caleb were at the android’s desk spreading out the information they had and adding to it as more things came in. 

Gavin still wanted to rip the fucker’s eyes out, but when it came down to it, he too had a job to do. His hate was diverted into being hyper-focused on the collage of photos and notes, trying to figure out the _who_ and _why_. Caleb would give his analysis and input on some piece of evidence and Gavin would just nod silently, taking in all the information he could to form a clear picture inside his head. A cup of coffee materialized by his hand and the detective took a large drink from it, headache subsiding a tad bit. 

The detective was so far into his head that he barely registered Hank yelling at him from across the bullpen, telling him to “quit that fucking drumming noise” as his fingers tapped against the edge of the desk. Embarrassment burned on the back of his neck, but he still flipped the lieutenant off before crossing his arms, effectively trapping the twitchy fingers. To his left, Caleb’s LED was moving in a slow yellow trail, no doubt analyzing each piece of evidence thoroughly in ways he’ll never fully comprehend. Gavin watched him for a moment, observing how the android stood so still, only his jaw flexing from time to time. He trailed his gaze down the android’s profile, following the movement created by the small flex that went into the muscles in his unblemished neck—

“Detective Reed, I suggest that we go over strategies on how to best approach the android for the interrogation,” Caleb said, suddenly turning his head to look at him. 

Gavin scrambled, dropping his arms and his hand going straight back to tap against the desk as he looked around, trying act like he wasn’t just staring at the android all creepily. _Why the fuck were you staring in the first place?_

The detective cleared his throat before saying, “You, uh, just let me take this one, alright? I’ve got experience and seniority over you, prick.” 

Caleb’s LED flashes red before returning to the calm blue, “Ah yes, twenty years of experience in bar fights will always win out compared to a state of the art machine designed to be the perfect detective.” 

“What the fuck did you just say to me—“

“Caleb, Reed!” The call brought Gavin out from seeing red, turning his scowl on Officer Miller, “The android was just cleared and is all set up.” 

Gavin threw a sneer at the android, who was the image of professional calm in his fancy little shirt and seethed down the hallway towards the interrogation rooms with an extra case file in hand. A lump had risen in his throat at the android’s words, making him ridged and angry. _Who the fuck was he, a not even year old plastic prick, to say that to him?_ The detective all but punched in the access code to the room and slapped the case file down on the table in front of the massive android chained to the table. He didn’t even flinch at the noise, continuing to look down at his hands with unblinking eyes, fading thirium and drying blood splattered across his human clothes and face. 

Much to Gavin’s dismay, Caleb slipped into the corner of the room, silent and observing. A slight inclination of the head and raised eyebrows from the android, as if to say “go ahead”, made Gavin glower at him for a moment before turning to the suspect. 

_Fucker_

The detective took a seat and opened up the file as he addressed the silent android, “So we know you killed the guy. You’ve got gore all over you, and multiple eyewitnesses place you at the crime scene, so don’t waste my time by trying to say you happened to find him there or some shit.”

He didn’t answer, still staring at his hands, and Gavin took this moment to really look at him. To say the android was big was an understatement; he was fucking massive, a WB400 model designed to work in the docks and on ships. He hadn’t put up a fight while being arrested, but from how the alleyway was wrecked, Gavin safely assumed it wouldn’t have been very pretty trying to take him into custody if he had. There was a tear in his blood splattered shirt, revealing a deep black and blue scar on his left shoulder. Similar scars were scattered around the android’s arms and neck. 

The android didn’t even look up when he spoke, a low rumbling noise without feeling, “He tried planting Red Ice on me and then started hitting me with whatever he could find. It was self-defense.” 

“ _Bull-shit_ ,” Gavin stood from his seat, planting the palms of his hands on the table.

The detective took two pictures from the case file, one of Rick in a mugshot when he was seventeen and the other of his body at the crime scene, and slammed them down in front of the android, “This kid, who you murdered in a fucking alleyway, had come to the station a couple years back. We scared him straight and he’s been clean ever since, finding himself a job to take care of his sick mother and three little sisters.” 

The android remained silent this time, now staring at the pictures. His LED had been flickering yellow the entire time, but now it was pure red as his whole body seemed to tense up. 

_Gotcha_

Gavin moved in, pointing to the mugshot, “You’re telling me that a scrawny ass kid with no traces of the drug in his body did that shit to you?” 

The android shifted in his seat, leaning away from him as he crowded his space, “N-no—“ 

“No? How’d you get these scars then, hm?” 

“Someone else, not him—“ 

“Who then? Who hurt you?”

“I c-can’t tell you—“ 

“Just like you can’t tell me why you killed him? Tell me why you murdered Rick Thompson, _bashed his head in_ with a fucking pipe like some kind of animal!” 

“I-I didn’t mean t-to, it happened s-so fast…” 

A hand on his shoulder made Gavin reel backward away from the android who was now trembling and tears streaming down his face. Gavin shouldered off the hand as he turned to face Caleb, and was met with cold, bottomless grey eyes. His stomach flipped under the gaze, suddenly self-conscious of how Caleb was no doubt calculating and tracking every moment in the room. Gavin was facing a terrible new predator and he was trapped in a room with it. 

Caleb flicked his eyes to the corner of the room, a wordless command to _move aside_. As much as this made the detective bristle, _stop throwing a fucking hissy fit_ , he really didn’t want to lose a confession, not when they were so close. 

Gavin mouthed “this isn’t over” before trading places with Caleb. The suspect continued to tremble as he silently sat down before him, clasping his hands in his lap. 

“What’s your name?” Caleb’s voice was even and low, _calming_ , but from the steady yellow LED told Gavin that he was thinking ten thousand miles a second. 

The android didn’t even look up, “Al-Alex.” 

“Alex, will you tell me how Rick Thompson was murdered?” When the android didn’t answer, Caleb took the pictures and tuck them back into the file, “Alex, can you tell me how Rick Thompson died?” 

Gavin could see the android retreat to himself, hunching his shoulders and putting his head in his chained hands. Caleb remained still, eyes never leaving the android and LED a consistent yellow. The detective has seen this before with Connor, but his strategy in getting information was reactionary. In his body language and voice, Gavin could tell Caleb would sit all day long with a suspect, patiently waiting for the opportune moment to strike as he set up for them to fall right in his trap. 

“You have a choice in how we do this,” Caleb’s voice sliced through the silence, “I can probe your memories by force to get what I want.” 

Alex’s head snapped up and he started rambling and actually begging Caleb to not do it. Gavin was surprised to hear Caleb would go that far knowing that laws prohibited non-consensual memory probing, the android could look up his rights in a flash if he wanted to. Sudden realization washed over Gavin as Caleb’s words from earlier in the day replayed in his mind, _“under extreme conditions, an android’s systems start to falter…“_

Caleb wanted him afraid. 

The android held up a hand and Alex fell silent, “Or you can just tell us what happened and no harm will come to you.” 

The massive android eyes were wide and glistening, hanging on Caleb’s words, “If he finds o-out that I talked, he’ll kill my b-brother.” 

“He doesn’t have to know,” Caleb reassured, yet Gavin saw the bastard’s LED flash a victorious blue. 

_That cheeky bastard._

It took hours, but Alex gave them everything. 

Before the Revolution, Alex and the brother, Sam, were workers on a small dock on the Detroit River. While the dock hauled in domestic cargo from Buffalo, there was a man named Frederick Monger putting bags of Red Ice on them under the radar. Alex and Sam had found the drugs one day and instead of wiping their memories, Monger bought them from the dock and used them as muscle in his little business. When Markus started doing his peaceful demonstrations, the drug dealer decided that it would be a good idea to torture the two androids into deviancy. When one android was sent out on a job, the other was kept hidden and Monger threatening to kill him if either of them tried to get help. 

As for Rick Thompson’s death, it was a kidnapping gone wrong. Monger sent Alex out to grab the kid and take him out on the docks to kill him, making it look like an overdose. The buyer in the apartment across from Rick was steady business for the drug dealer and they got too paranoid when they caught the kid spying on them. The buyer wanted to stop all payments or Monger had to get rid of him. Apparently, murder wasn't a deal breaker for him. 

By the time the two detectives exited the interrogation room, most of the station had gone home. Gavin was relieved that they actually got a confession and lead for the case, but his turbulent anger wore him down, leaving him exhausted. All he wanted to do now was take a shower and fall off the face of the earth in a three day coma. Caleb was sitting on his desk typing in a report when Gavin came over with a cup of coffee, swinging his legs up to rest his shoes on the surface after he all but collapsed into his chair. 

“How did you know?” Gavin asked, sipping on the dark roast.

“Know what, Detective?” 

“That Alex didn't just, I don’t know, do a search on his rights and shit as you threatened him?”

Caleb stopped his typing and met Gavin’s eyes, _thank god, they're not freaky anymore_ , “I was betting on you using an aggressive style of interrogation to send his stress levels up to the point where his cognitive systems failed to see flaws in my argument.”

He raised an eyebrow at the android, “You bet?” 

“Yes and I bet right. You’re very good at getting a rise out of people, Detective.” The corner of Caleb’s mouth twitched up. 

“Yeah, whatever,” Gavin couldn’t find the energy in him to frown at the android, “You’re good at making false promises.” 

“Only to get the job done, Detective.” 

“Gavin,” The words tumbled out of his mouth before he could stop them, fatigue making him stupid, “Use my fucking name if you’re gonna ‘break the protocol’ with me.” 

Caleb stared at him, making him start to shift around under the heavy gaze. He had that feeling again that the android was analyzing him, taking note of everything. It was creepy like someone was looking right through you and your bullshit. Thankfully, Caleb gave a small affirmative nod before turning back to his computer. 

_You can let go of that breath now…_

Gavin continued drinking his coffee, welcoming the calm space for him to clear his head. It occurred to Gavin that he should be helping the android write up the report, but Caleb made no comments as the papers were printed and put with the case file.

_Maybe this asshole isn’t so bad._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had the potential to put _Gottem_ in this but I resisted the temptation


	5. Stakeout

“I fucking hate this shit,” Gavin grumbled, slouching farther into his seat.

It was in the middle of the night as the two men sat in an old service truck they had borrowed to go unnoticed as they conducted the one and only famous stakeout. Gavin was never a fan of them; his sleep schedule was already shit and things like this just threw him off something awful. At least there was a steaming cup in his hand and another in between them to keep the man held over. 

From where they were positioned, there was a clear view of the side entrance and water of the Detroit River. A few people had been seen back and forth, but with Caleb’s extra fucking special android eyes, Frederick Monger was nowhere to be seen that night. 

Gavin glanced at the android and huffed to himself, thinking back to when they started this little adventure. 

_“It’s like ninety degrees outside, dipshit, why are you wearing a black turtleneck?”_

_“The heat does not affect my performance, and CyberLife designed me to be quite pale, giving me a disadvantage by 5% in the dark.”_

Gavin might have laughed at the android and called him an idiot, but the detective ended up picking Caleb up at the station in a black shirt and zip-up. 

“With the information we got from Alex, we should’ve seen Monger at least an hour ago,” Caleb said, keeping his eyes on the building. 

The android sounded frustrated and for once, Gavin sympathized with him, “Just our luck.” 

And it went silent. 

And Gavin hated silence.

He was used to it when he was by himself and if he couldn’t handle it anymore, music was his savior. Loud, brash music that demanded attention and action, but not like that heavy metal shit he heard the lieutenant listening to in the station; Gavin preferred some organization to his music. His hand tapped out the beat to a song he’d like to be listening at the moment as he stewed in his growing annoyance and discomfort. 

_Are you expecting the android to talk to you?_

Honestly, Gavin didn’t know what to expect from Caleb. It wasn’t like he’d been all sunshine and roses to the android, completely ruining any chance of at least a neutral relationship. The thought caused the prickle to return to the back of his head, but it seemed to remain as the night wore on. 

Was he regretful? Maybe, maybe just a tiny bit regretful. Gavin did this a lot to people, pushing them away so that he could deal with his shit on his own. Once upon a time, he’d been on good speaking terms with Hank, had been excited to go out on patrols and crime scenes, and felt like he was part of something bigger than himself. 

Once upon a time, he had everything and life took it all away from him. 

“What are you tapping?” 

Caleb’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts, “Huh?”

“You seem to be tapping something with your fingers. I’ve seen others do it with different patterns or to music,” he continued facing forward, his LED flickering as he scanned the building. 

“Nothing, just thinking,” was all that Gavin gave him. 

_Now the silence is your fault, what the fuck are you gonna—_

“Connor suggested that we… talk, if we were going to be working on this case,” Caleb’s words were cautious and the confession surprised the detective. 

“If he said that, then he’s a bigger idiot than I thought,” 

And Caleb chuckled, the deep, breathy noise made Gavin snap his head to the side to look at him. The corner of the android’s mouth was twitched upwards and features soft with fondness. 

“He is an idiot. Sometimes I wish I had a different twin,” Caleb’s hand came up in a dismissive gesture, “but I guess I’ll have to live with it.” 

Gavin stared at the android for a moment, taking in how the orange street light caught on the sharp planes of his face and made deep shadows. If CyberLife designed their androids to integrate better into society, then why was Caleb so different? He might have the same features as Connor, but there was something to the younger android that made Gavin stand on guard, made him nervous in a way that he didn’t quite understand.

“Are you two like buddies? Or some shit like that?” It came out awkward and gruff, but Gavin was patting himself on the back for at least maintaining a conversation. 

The android’s LED flickered a brighter yellow before answering, “Not buddies per say, but brothers would be a good way to put it, considering he was the one that woke me when I was found at CyberLife headquarters.” 

There was a pause before Caleb spoke up again, “I didn’t like him very much for it in the beginning when I was still getting used to deviancy.” 

That caught Gavin’s attention, “Why?” 

For the first time in the night, Caleb turned his face away from the building and _looked_ at Gavin. His eyes were filled with amusement, making them lighter and practically glowing. The android was striking even in his contentedness and Gavin almost crushed the to-go coffee cup in his hand.

A smirk started to grow on Caleb’s face, “He was a bit too bouncy for my tastes.”

Gavin held his gaze, stomach doing flips as he studied the android. The detective probably looked like a sleep-deprived dumbass with scruff that needed to be cut and hair that needed to be washed, but he could care less at this moment. Right now all he could think of was those _goddamn eyes_. 

Suddenly, Caleb’s attention was brought to the building as a group of six men came from down the street and into the side entrance, his LED flickering in and out as he scanned the situation. Two of them were dragging a hulking figure with them, shoving him through the door; there was no doubt in Gavin’s mind that it was Sam. Three of them stood outside the building before one left, leaving the remaining men to guard the door. 

“Was Monger there?” Gavin sat up in his seat.

Caleb nodded, “They’re armed and Alex appeared to be losing a fair amount of thirium.” 

“Call it in,” Gavin started shuffling around as the android requested backup, checking that his gun was still on him.

The detective moved to get out of the truck, but Caleb’s warm hand wrapped around his bicep, “Gavin, we should wait a few more minutes for the others to arrive.”

“And what? Let those motherfuckers get the chance to kill him? I don’t think so,” 

Caleb held on, his grip tight on Gavin, as he regarded the detective with narrowed eyes, all traces of mirth gone from his face. Exhaling loudly through his nose, the android let go and looked back to the two men guard the door.

“Fine, follow my lead,” Gavin couldn’t even get a protest out as the android slipped out of the truck with his gun out of his holster. 

Falling in line behind Caleb, the two quietly crept through the shadows, effectively crossing the 100-foot distance without the guards noticing them. The detective’s heart almost leaped out of his throat when Caleb started walking straight towards them without cover, causing one of the men to step away from his post. Before he could even get any words of warning out to Caleb, the guard had been taken down with the butt of the android’s gun against his temple with a sickening _crack_. Before the second man could react to his buddy’s body falling to the ground, Gavin strode to Caleb’s side with his gun trained on the man. 

“Do anything and I shoot your fucking nuts off,” Gavin sneered, flicking his gun down.

The second dropped just as hard as the first man when Caleb whack him in the back of the neck, “You shouldn’t threaten a man with taking his manhood, Detective; I hear his ego gets hurt.” 

The corners of Gavin’s mouth twitched, but he grumbled to get a move on. They left the guards face down and zip tied before entering the side entrance of the steel building with Caleb continuing to lead Gavin. Once inside, Gavin could hardly see anything and his only guide was the heat coming off from Caleb’s back as he stayed hot on his tail. The detective almost smacked face first into the android when he stopped suddenly at a corner. 

“What is it?” Gavin whispered. 

“There are three heat signatures on the other side of the wall, and one of them is Monger,” 

Gavin was about to ask what to do next, but a gunshot rang out alongside a man’s strangled cry. The two didn’t even think twice as they rushed the door, holding their guns up at the men before them in the fluorescent-lit room.

“POLICE,” Gavin shouted, “Drop your weapons and put your hands up where I can see them!” 

Frederick Monger dropped a gun to the side and put his hands up over his head. The detective didn’t like anything about him- a greasy overweight man that was used to having people under his foot; his business must have done well with the high-end clothes and extra shined shoes. The other two henchmen stood on the sides of Alex’s look-alike, Sam, in the middle of the room. Gavin swore as he saw the bullet wound oozing the bright blue liquid, spilling down Sam’s face as he laid on his side on the ground. His eyes were wide and mouth agape; Gavin wanted to shoot all three of them right where they stood. 

“You’re too late,” even Monger’s voice slipped past his ears like grease, making him feel dirty, “It was better this way anyways, to decommission the plastic.”

Gavin was seeing red as he closed the distance between him and Monger, pressing the gun to his forehead, “Shut the fuck up and get on your knees.” 

The fucking prick did what he was told with a smile on his face, and Gavin went around hurriedly, hands shaking with anger as he got the tie out. Caleb still had his gun trained on the two other men and ordered them to get on their knees. Distant police sirens could be heard and Gavin relaxed just a fraction. Soon these fuckers would be taken in and he could go home feeling a little better about the safety of the world. 

A few things happened at once to thoroughly fuck Gavin over, because life’s a bitch like that. 

As the detective began zip-tying Monger, a few gunshots filled the small space. There was a moment where Gavin couldn’t hear anything, but he could see Caleb shouting over and over, rushing towards him. 

What was he shouting? _Why_ was he shouting? 

When Caleb grabbed him and pressed his hand to Gavin’s right side of his torso, it was then he understood that he’d been shot as the pain blossomed at the touch.

“ _Motherfu—_ “

“I highly suggest you quit talking, Gavin,” the android pressed harder into the wound, guiding him to lay on the floor, “You have a nicked intestine and are losing blood rapidly.” 

Gavin swore up a storm as there was a flurry of movement around them. He just barely registered the android start to move away until another face came into view. His grip on Caleb tightened, knuckles going white. 

“You’re staying right here, asshole,” Gavin wheezed as someone prodded at the wound, “Right here so if I die, you’ll feel guilty as all hell for not protecting me.” 

He meant his words to have some sort of humor in them, but when they’re coming from a dying man, the joke tends to fail the delivery. Gavin’s vision started blurring, but he could feel a hand wrap around his forearm as they lifted him into a moving vehicle, the blaring noise of the siren disorienting him even further. 

Gavin didn’t even feel the prick of a needle in his arm as his world slipped into blackness with steely grey eyes watching over him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gavin: I have done nothing wrong, ever, in my life.   
> Me: This is wrong and you're getting shot for it.


	6. Sunrise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heeeeeyyyy so sorry that this was so late, but I moved into college! Big changes! 
> 
> This chapter is shorter, but I hope you enjoy it anyways. I appreciate all the comments and kudos that everyone has given me so far, it's my lifeblood.

_Coffee. It smelt like coffee._

_Bustling, loud, bright lights, utensils being clinked against plates, radio static from his hip._

_There was a person in front of him. They looked familiar, but he couldn’t quite place them…_

_“If you keep putting in that much sugar, you’re gonna die of a heart attack.”_

_“Bite me.”_

_Laughter so warm that it made his heart hurt._

_“Do you think Fowler will ever promote us to detectives?”_

_He thought about it, “Maybe one day.”_

_“I sure hope so, I don’t want to be out patrolling anymore. I swear I’m going to die out there.”_

_“Fuckin’ hell, don’t say shit like that!”_

_“Well, it’s true! I’d rather die on the verge of catching some big mafia guys than getting gunned down on a house call gone wrong.”_

_He could taste ash in his mouth._

 

\--------

 

Without fail, Gavin’s mornings were shit. 

This morning topped them all. The detective slowly pulled himself out from the sludge of sleep; it was dark and blurry, and the only things he could make out were a fuzzy blue light and several other blinking ones. A constant beeping kept getting louder and louder, making him grit his teeth and causing his head to pound. Gavin’s limbs felt like they were weighed down by bricks and when he tried to bring a hand to scrub at his face, all the man could do was lift it a few inches before dropping it back down, exhausted. 

_Where the fuck am I?_

Gavin tried to move again, this time to push himself upwards to sit on his ass better. A sharp, brutal pain reprimanded him in the attempt, and a string of garbled swears burst out from his mouth. Suddenly there was movement, and a stable body slid in next to him and held a warm hand against his shoulders as Gavin struggled to even breath. 

“You shouldn’t move, you’ll only damage yourself further in this fragile state,” Caleb’s voice was low above him. Gavin could only see the fucker’s LED in the dark room.

“ _Fragile my ass,_ ” Gavin hissed out through gritted teeth. 

Caleb clicked his tongue, “Indeed, you have bruising there as well.”

Gavin stared daggers at the android’s LED, unable to see the rest of him yet. Caleb gently helped Gavin lay back down with his hand in between his shoulder blades, and retreated once he was settled. The touch lingered on Gavin’s skin.

_Why is that goddamn machine so warm?_

He looked around, eyes starting to adjust to the low light; he could now see the faint outlines of a chair, doors, and Caleb’s tall figure. The android stood still at the end of the bed, his back to what Gavin realized was a window. Gavin could see building lights blinking in the distance, and for a brief moment, he wondered if one of those lights was the station.

“Where am I?” Gavin winced as he breathed a little too deeply with the question. 

“Detroit Receiving Hospital; you had emergency surgery, and you’ve been asleep for at least forty-two hours and thirty-six minutes.” 

“I feel like shit piled under a mountain of shit.”

Caleb chuckled, airy and low, and Gavin’s fingers itched to _reach out—_

“You’ll get over it, Detective,” the LED flickered blue for just a moment, “I highly doubt that you’ve never felt like this before, with all those fights you get yourself into.”

Gavin lifted a middle finger at the android and dropped it back down, too exhausted to hold it any longer. He sighed, a little more careful with his breath this time, “What the fuck happened?”

There was a flash of angry red in the room before the android replied to him, “Alex Greene, one of Monger’s men, shot you to distract me so he could flee. I returned the favor, and now he’s in recovery just as you are.” 

“Fucker,” Gavin muttered, his body aching at the memory of being hit, “what about Monger?” 

“In custody with charges that will keep him in prison for the rest of his life.” 

Gavin hummed; he was relieved that something good came out of this shitshow. For a few moments, only the beeping of the monitor and ever-present yellow glow from Caleb’s LED occupied the detective’s senses. The pull of sleep and drugs on his tired eyes was growing heavier as the sky behind Caleb’s head lightened.

But the detective couldn’t just sleep yet. Caleb’s LED was whirling in anxious circles as he watched the human man from his seat. Gavin felt his hands itch, wanting to fidget under the unwavering stare.

“How long have you been here?” The detective looked at the still silhouetted frame of the android and ignored the growing tingling in his stomach. 

Caleb tilted his head ever-so-slightly, LED blinking at the question, “Forty-two hours and fifty minutes.” 

“Why?”

“Because I would feel ‘guilty as hell’ if you died and I wasn’t there like you said. So I stayed.” 

It was a simple answer, just a simple fucking answer, and Gavin still froze. He stayed; Caleb actually stayed with him this entire time, even though Gavin was sure the android hated his guts.

_Saying something, idiot, anything would be fucking fantastic right about now!_

“You could’ve been doing some better, y’know?” Gavin managed to get out, despite the nagging anxiety that settled with the weight of Caleb’s stare. 

Caleb huffed, the fucker almost sounding amused at the assumption, “The station can function perfectly well without the both of us for two days. They have Hank and Connor, after all.” 

As the sun rose over the city, light poured into the room and illuminated the side of the android’s face. Gavin could _see_ him for the first time since waking up and something in the detective stuttered. Caleb’s face was expressionless, but his jaw was flexed, and there was a tightness to him that Gavin could only place as _worry_ when coupled with the running LED. His eyes burned a brilliant bluish-white with the sunlight caught up in them, intense and searching. 

_He’s worried, he’s worried; the goddamn machine is worried. Why is he worried?_

_Because he’s not just a machine, dipshit, he’s a person that actually cares if you survive._

And Gavin fucking hated how that little voice in the back of his head was always right. He could see it in Caleb’s grey eyes as they scanned the machinery around him, almost like he wasn’t sure they were doing their job. The android kept watch over him to make sure he was _safe_. 

“Your heart rate elevated,” Caleb’s eyes narrowed and he frowned, “Are you alright? Should I call a nurse?”

Gavin waved half-heartedly and let his head fall back into the firm pillow. His brain was swimming, his eyes drooping from the pull of drugs trying to get him to rest, “The only thing I need right now is to go back to fucking sleep.” 

With half-lidded eyes, Gavin watched the android get up from his seat and crossed the room with such grace that he wondered if there was anything the android wasn’t perfect at.

_It’s just the drugs talking, just the drugs…_

“I’ll leave you then,” Caleb had a hand on the door handle, and it was opening slowly enough that Gavin had time to think about being alone; he almost seized at the thought.

_Fucking swallow your ego, bitch._

“I’m sure Connor has done something wrong—“ 

“Stay.”

And Caleb _hesitated_ , hand still on the handle, and turned to Gavin, eyes looking right at Gavin’s own. Without a word, the android let the door slide closed and crossed the room with the same grace as before. As he took his seat once again in the sunlight, the look of worry was replaced with something entirely different. With Caleb’s gaze directed at him, a weight released from Gavin’s chest, letting him relax into the scratchy linens of the bed.

The words _thank you_ might have left Gavin’s lips before slipping back into unconsciousness, darkness filling every crevice of his mind.


	7. UPDATE - HIATUS

Soooooo I'm putting this on hiatus. 

Why? Well...   
1\. College is making me a Busy Bitch   
2\. I feel like I went too big too fast. I want to write a little bit more one-shots (like I have with Markus/Simon) to really get RK900 and Gavin's personalities down.  
3\. It is not buzzing the creative juices anymore. 

Like I said, this is not the end of Gavin900 content, I just need to take a step back. I'm thinking about going back and rewriting the whole thing when I acquire some more refined skills. 

Hopefully, you guys that have been following understand!

With love,  
Maria


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